Cellophane banding for the gradual attenuation of single extrahepatic portosystemic shunts in eleven dogs

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and short term effects of a cellophane banding technique for progressive attenuation of canine single extrahepatic portosystemic shunts.
Design A prospective trial of 11 dogs with single congenital extrahepatic shunts.
Procedure Rectal ammonia tolerance testing and routine biochemical tests were performed preoperatively on all dogs. In seven dogs, preoperative abdominal Doppler ultrasonography was also performed. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a single extrahepatic portocaval shunt in each animal, which was attenuated using a cellophane band with an internal diameter of 2 to 3 mm. The abdomen was closed routinely. Follow-up biochemical analysis and abdominal Doppler ultrasonography or splenoportography were performed postoperatively.
Results The shunt was not amenable to total ligation in 11 dogs, based upon reported criteria. All dogs recovered uneventfully from surgery without evidence of portal hypertension, and showed clinical improvement thereafter. Shunt occlusion was deemed to have occurred in 10 dogs based on resolution of biochemical and/or sonographic abnormalities. One dog continued to have sonographic evidence of portosystemic shunting when evaluated 3 weeks after surgery, despite normal ammonia tolerance, but was lost to subsequent follow-up. Two dogs, in which 3 mm cellophane bands were placed, experienced delayed shunt occlusion.
Conclusion Cellophane banding is simple to perform, and causes progressive attenuation of single extrahepatic shunts in dogs. Further work is needed to determine the maximum diameter of a cellophane band which will produce total attenuation, and the long-term safety and reliability of the treatment.     

Associations between Theileria orientalis Ikeda type infection and the growth rates and haematocrit of suckled beef calves in the North Island of New Zealand

AIMS: The principle aim of this study was to examine the association between infection with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type and growth rates of suckled beef calves on four beef farms. In addition, associations between calf sex, sampling time, and individual farm and T. orientalis Ikeda type infection intensity and haematocrit (HCT) were investigated.

METHODS: The study was a prospective longitudinal study in which 240 calves from four purposively selected beef farms in the North Island of New Zealand were blood sampled and weighed in late spring, mid-summer and early autumn. Two farms were from high-risk (A and B) and two from low-risk (C and D) tick areas. Blood samples were analysed to determine HCT, and the number of T. orientalis Ikeda type organisms/µL of blood (infection intensity) using a quantitative PCR assay. A calf was defined as infected if >415 organisms/µL were detected in a blood sample. Linear mixed models were used to examine associations between infection intensity, mean daily liveweight gain (MDG), HCT, calf sex and time of sampling on the four farms.

RESULTS: On Farms A and B nearly all calves were infected at each sampling time, on Farm C <30% were infected at any sampling and on Farm D infection prevalence increased from 32 to 79% between late spring and early autumn. On Farms C and D, from mid-summer to early autumn, mean MDG was 0.127 (95% CI=0.072–0.183) kg/day less for infected than uninfected calves (p<0.001). On all farms MDG was negatively associated with infection intensity for mid-summer and early autumn sampling times (p=0.037). The relationship between time of sampling and infection intensity varied between farms (p<0.001), and between male and female calves (p=0.018). Females had a higher infection intensity than males at the mid-summer and early autumn samplings. The association between HCT and infection intensity varied with sampling time and farm (p=0.018). There was a strong negative association between infection intensity and HCT at the late spring sampling, but in mid-summer there was no association, and in early autumn only a weak association.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study has shown that beef farmers in the North Island of New Zealand should be concerned about the welfare effects and economic impacts of T. orientalis Ikeda type infection in suckled beef calves.     

Diameter-Selective Raman Scattering from Vibrational Modes in Carbon Nanotubes

Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) that are found as close-packed arrays in crystalline ropes have been studied by using Raman scattering techniques with laser excitation wavelengths in the range from 514.5 to 1320 nanometers. Numerous Raman peaks were observed and identified with vibrational modes of armchair symmetry (n, n) SWNTs. The Raman spectra are in good agreement with lattice dynamics calculations based on C-C force constants used to fit the two-dimensional, experimental phonon dispersion of a single graphene sheet. Calculated intensities from a nonresonant, bond polarizability model optimized for sp2 carbon are also in qualitative agreement with the Raman data, although a resonant Raman scattering process is also taking place. This resonance results from the one-dimensional quantum confinement of the electrons in the nanotube.     

Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis MBI 600 Against Sheath Blight Caused by Rhizoctonia solani and on Growth and Yield of Rice

Rice sheath blight disease(ShB),caused by Rhizoctonia solani,gives rise to significant grain yield losses.The present study evaluated the efficacy of Integral?,the commercial liquid formulation of Bacillus subtilis strain MBI 600,against rice ShB and for plant growth promotion.In greenhouse studies,four log concentrations of Integral(from 2.2×106 to 2.2×109 cfu/mL) were used as seed treatment(ST).After 25 d,seedlings were dipped(SD) into Integral prior to transplanting.At 30 d after transplanting(DAT),leaf sheaths were inoculated with immature sclerotia of the pathogen.At 45 DAT,a foliar spray(FS) with Integral was applied to some treatments.The fungicide control was 50% carbendazim at 1.0 g/L,and a nontreated control was also included.Overall,there were 10 treatments,each with five replications.ShB severity was rated at 52 DAT,and seedling height and number of tillers per plant were rated at 60 DAT.In 2009,two field trials evaluated Integral at 2.2×108 and 2.2×109 cfu/mL.Integral was applied as ST,and seedlings were produced in a nursery bed.After 32 d,seedlings were treated with Integral as SD and transplanted into 10 m2 blocks.Foliar sprays were given at 45 and 60 DAT.There were seven treatments,each with eight replications arranged as a factorial randomized complete block design.At 20 DAT,the plots were broadcast inoculated with R.solani produced on rice grains.Seedling height before transplanting,ShB severity at 90 DAT,and grain yield at harvest were recorded.Integral at 2.2×109 cfu/mL provided significant increase of seedling heights over other treatments under greenhouse conditions.The Integral treatments of ST + SD + FS at 2.2×109 cfu/mL significantly suppressed ShB over other treatments.In field studies,Integral provided significant increase of seedling height in nursery,and number of tillers per plant,compared with the control.ShB severity was significantly suppressed with higher concentrations of Integral compared to lower concentrations.Grain yield were the highest at an Integral concentration of 2.2×109 cfu/mL.Overall,Integral significantly reduced ShB severity,enhanced seedling growth,number of tillers per plant and grain yield as ST + SD + FS at the concentration of 2.2×109 cfu/mL under the conditions evaluated.